September 14, 2018

New York Primaries

On Thursday, New York held its state primaries, with Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo beating Cynthia Nixon in the gubernatorial race. Among other winners are Kathy Hochul for Lieutenant Governor and Letitia James for Attorney General. (AP)

From the Left

The left is skeptical of Cuomo despite his win.

From the Right

The right argues that the Democrats’ shift to the left will harm their general election prospects.

Cuomo feared that “governing as a progressive in such a heavily Democratic state would push him to adopt policies that would make him unelectable in a national contest... Had Cuomo simply done the normal thing and supported Democratic state Senate candidates and gotten the chance he feared to sign ambitious progressive bills, he’d be perfectly positioned for the circumstances of 2020."

Vox

“Whether Cuomo’s policy priorities will continue to evolve in response to the changing political terrain remains to be seen... More than any other New York politician, Cuomo has benefited from the state’s loose campaign finance laws, raking in vast sums of corporate cash. And two of the governor’s former top aides are also headed to prison for bribery and bid-rigging."

Huffington Post

“Cuomo may have Trump partially to thank for his comfortable victory on Thursday night. The president’s conservative administration... allowed Cuomo to position himself as the state’s protector. And Trump’s rocky management of the government sowed doubts in the minds of voters about Nixon’s own inexperience. That seemed to be enough for a Democratic incumbent who engenders little love."

The Atlantic

From the Right

The right argues that the Democrats’ shift to the left will harm their general election prospects.

“Cuomo’s nervous habit of desperately trying to appease his left flank continued right through the primary — and shows no sign of slowing down as the governor mulls a presidential run. But Cuomo shouldn’t let the election pass without learning a lesson about his fair-weather friends on the left... [Enacting numerous progressive policies has not] assuaged suspicions from the state’s progressives," many of whom opted to support Cynthia Nixon.